This question is missing the options. I've found the complete question online. It is the following:
What does the word trap refer to in this excerpt from Beowulf?
‘O flower of warriors, beware of that trap.
Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part,
eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride.
For a brief while your strength is in bloom
but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow
illness or the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water
or jabbing blade or javelin from the air
or repellent age. Your piercing eye’
will dim and darken; and death will arrive,
dear warrior, to sweep you away.
A) death
B) accidents
C) old age
D) pride
Answer:
In this excerpt, the word trap refers to:
D) pride.
Explanation:
Beowulf is one of the most famous epic poems of all time. It takes the name of its main character, the hero Beowulf, who fights and defeats three monsters: Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon.
In this particular excerpt, Beowulf is being advised against being proud. That is the trap he should be careful about. The speaker is telling him that all the reasons he now has to be prideful will, one day, vanish. His strength, prowess, and youth will give way to old age and death. Death, as a matter of fact, may even come early, by the hands of others.
The correct answer is D. The word "trap" refers to pride. In these lines, Beowulf is being warned. He is told to "beward of that trap," and "Do not give way to pride." Beowulf is warned that his strength will not last forever; ultimately, he will grow weak and old, or he will be injured. Either way, his strength is not something he will always have -- therefore, he must not become so proud that he forgets he is human.
